A lot of shrimp is imported from overseas, and several businesses and restaurants that serve shrimp don't tell customers where it comes from

Shrimp matters a lot to customers and employees at El Papa's Restaurant in Port Isabel, where pink gulf shrimp from offshore is prepped by hand for the lunchtime customers — even if the price of imported shrimp from Asia and South America is cheaper.

“We live near the Gulf, where we take pride in that,” Elda Flores said.

El Papa's Restaurant is being added to a small list of restaurants along the Gulf of Mexico in the state of Texas that serve locally sourced seafood. 

That state’s sea grant extension service started the "Trail Of Texas Seafood" website that lists 56 restaurants in Texas that sell local seafood.

They want to add more to the list.

Imported shrimp has been a serious problem for local shrimpers. They're competing against imported farm raised shrimp from Asia and South America.

Aida Gonzalez Rivera of Bodden Kaddell Inc. says a local effort to serve more gulf shrimp is promising.

“Right now we're not making any money, all the boats are tied up right now. The majority of the boats in Port Isabel and Brownsville are tied up," Rivera said. “I believe that they should ask the restaurant or the business that they're buying the shrimp from if it is wild-caught shrimp."

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